Bite-sized anything is popular these days, but when it comes to charm and elegance, nothing can beat bite-sized desserts. Huge elaborate cakes may be a vision to behold, but most people would rather grab a variety of delectable little morsels. Miniatures have a special kind of appeal. Someone may not want to indulge in a […]
It’s in the Bag – or rather- Freezer
I have many appetizer and hors d’oeuvre cookbooks that contain recipes for freezing, but this is the only one on my shelves where every recipe is completely about freezing hors d’oeuvres. If you are planning a Christmas or New Year’s party and need plenty of hors d’oeuvres, just imagine how nice it would be to […]
Visions of Sugarplums: The Book and the Giveaway!
Even the title of this classic cookbook makes me happy. It takes me back to the dozens and dozens of times I would sit on my grandmother’s lap and she would read me “T’was the Night Before Christmas” with the passage, “The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.” […]
The Joy of Making, the Joy of Giving
Gifts from the heart and your own kitchen are the best gifts of all. That’s probably why I have so many books on the subject, and this one is a keeper. The authors, Diana and Paul von Welanetz, ran a cooking school in Los Angeles where, for years, their most popular course was about gifts […]
Chocolate Snowballs for Winter (To eat, not throw!)
I grabbed this cookbook when we had our first significant snowfall last week, and decided writing about a book called Chocolate Snowball would be perfect for now. You can see a photo of a chocolate snowball on the top left of the book cover. It’s a decadent flourless chocolate cake covered in whipped cream. It can be […]
A Gingerbread Feast
One of the best aromas to come out of a kitchen has to be gingerbread, with its fragrant air of molasses and spices. Early forms of gingerbread were thought to made in ancient Egypt and Greece, and later made by Catholic monks. The form as we know it in our country was brought by Swiss monks to […]
